At Attacks launch: What if governments are perpetrators?

When we launched the new edition of Attacks
on the Press at the United Nations today, I was hit with questions
about Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Both dealt with what amounts to the same problem:
What do you do when you're asking a government to investigate a crime in which
it might have been the perpetrator?

The Sri Lanka question came first. What is happening in the case of Prageeth Eknelygoda, a critical cartoonist and columnist who disappeared more than a year ago? The question starts around 17:07 on the U.N.'s archived webcast of the event. The Pakistan question, which starts at around 33:55, addresses the case of Umar Cheema, another critical columnist. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka get ample coverage in this year's Attacks on the Press.

The answer to both, I'm afraid, fits well with the theme of
this year's launch--that international organizations such as the United Nations and
regional groups such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation must
step up their pressure on behalf of journalists under attack. As CPJ's Joel
Simon pointed out in his introduction to this
year's Attacks, "many international governmental organizations created to
defend press freedom are consistently failing to fulfill their mission." Nowhere
is that more true than in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

On Wednesday, in Bangkok, CPJ Senior Representative Shawn
Crispin and Internet Advocacy Coordinator Danny O'Brien are scheduled to discuss
Attacks at the Foreign Correspondents
Club. Shawn will have plenty to say about his essays on Thailand,
Vietnam,
and Burma.
Danny will talk about the many significant issues raised by the explosion of
digital information platforms across Asia. You can get a jump on his views by
reading his analysis, Exposing
the Internet's Shadowy Assailants."

Danny is in Bangkok for the trial of Chiranuch
Premchaiporn, head of the independent news website Prachatai. Premchaiporn faces severe criminal charges for comments
posted to the website that authorities considered insulting to the monarchy. Chiranuch
took down the comments immediately after they were brought to her attention,
but that was not enough.

Bob Dietz, coordinator of CPJ’s Asia Program, has reported across the continent for news outlets such as CNN and Asiaweek. He has led numerous CPJ missions, including ones to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Follow him on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.